Cat Cove Marine Laboratory
The Department of Biology operates the Cat Cove Marine Laboratory, a research and educational facility that is home to the Northeastern Massachusetts Aquaculture Center (NEMAC). The laboratory is housed on a 16-acre site including an 8-acre tidal pond (Smith Pool) and a 5,500 ft2 wet lab. Three tidal gates can manipulate water flow and level within the pond. The wet lab includes 36 tanks, ranging in size from 40 to 850 gallons, which are setup to culture finfish and shellfish, an environmentally controlled algal culture room, an analytical laboratory and an instructional room. All water entering the lab is filtered and treated by UV units. Seawater is distributed throughout the lab either at ambient or adjusted temperatures, seawater can be cooled or heated depending on seasonal conditions or research requirements. The lab site also contains a garage housing a 16-foot boat for deploying sample equipment and a workshop for preparing and repairing field gear.
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The Main Lab Building from Smith Pool |
Algal Culture Room |
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| Fish Culture Lab | Clam Shed and Upweller |
Since opening in April 1999, the Northeastern Massachusetts Aquaculture Center, NEMAC, and the Cat Cove Marine Lab and Hatchery have made significant contributions to the economic, environmental and educational interests of the North Shore and the Commonwealth. The hatchery has produced in excess of 10.5 million soft-shelled, 'steamers', clam seed. These seed clams have been transported and planted on sand flats throughout the state. Within the North Shore communities of Ipswich and Rowley alone, 13 acres of clams have been planted in the past five years. As water quality continues to improve along our coastline, more communities will likely benefit from our efforts. Additionally, we are culturing mussels off the coast of Gloucester with notable success. Expanding beyond the North Shore, we are supplying clam seed to the South Shore, Cape Cod and the Islands, as soft-shell clams are becoming increasingly popular with shellfish growers. We are the only certified hatchery for soft-shell clams in the state.
Nearly two dozen coastal communities have accessed the Cat Cove Marine Lab for aquaculture assistance.
Projects
Developing projects of the Northeastern Massachusetts Aquaculture Center (NEMAC) at the Cat Cove Marine Laboratory investigate the biology of regionally important shellfish (e.g., mussels, soft shelled clams, Atlantic scallops, and oysters) and finfish (e.g., flounder, striped bass, mummichogs) as well as environmental impacts of aquaculture. Additional projects focus on marine biology and ecology of coastal Massachusetts. Recent Projects include: more ...
Academics
At Salem State College the Aquaculture Concentration within the Department of Biology manifests its ecological heritage. Students explore energy flow and allocation in aquatic systems. Techniques to repackage energy into organisms considered desirable by humankind are examined analytically. The curriculum affords students the opportunity to learn about aquaculture and to apply newly acquired skills in real-life situations. Courses offered at the Cat Cove Marine Laboratory include; Introduction to Aquaculture, Aquaculture Methods, Advanced Aquaculture, Fish Biology, and Aquaculture Internships. more...
Outreach
Working with many North Shore schools, NEMAC has provided assistance in getting aquaculture facilities set up in schools to develop aquaculture science programs as well as using aquaculture to enhance science education. In addition many schools visit the Cat Cove Marine lab to learn about aquaculture and marine science. more ...
